Milk bottle washing machine



Aug. 20, 1935.

C. W. WALKER MILK BOTTLE WASHING MACHINE lFiled March 22, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 www Aug. 20, 1935, Y c. w. WALKER 2,011,786

MILK BOTTLE WASHING MACHINE Filed March 22, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Mk1/UWM" Patented Aug. 20, 1935 UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE MILK BOTTLE WASHING MACHINE Charles Widmer Walker, Toronto, Ontario,

'l Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in milk bottle washing machines, and the object of the invention is to devise a simple and compact machine which will not be costly to manufacture having a minimum number of moving parts and which will, therefore, not be as liable to become out of order, and it consists essentially of the arrangement and construction of parts as hereinafter more particularly explained.

Fig. l is a perspective View of my machine partially broken away to exhibit the interior construction thereof.

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view through my machine on line 2-2 Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view taken through the feed orice and with the bottle carriers removed.

Fig. 4 is a perspective'detail of the spiral runway on a reduced scale.

Fig. 5 is a sectional detail through the delivery mechanism.

` Fig. 6 is an enlarged perspective detail of one of the bottle carriers.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged perspective detail of one of the links of the carrier chain to which the bottle carriers are connected.

Fig. 8 is a transverse section through the link illustrated in Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a detail showing the bottle in the rinsing position.

Like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different views.

I indicates a tank containing a strong alkali solution. 2 is a tube located centrally in the tank I. 3 is a concentric tube, the wall of which is located midway between the external periphery of the tube 2 and the internal periphery of the tank I.

4 and 5 are volute guiding walls, the central portions of which are in vertical alignment with the wall of the tube 3 and set reversely one to the other so as to provide respectively inlet and outlet spiral channels leading from the exterior of the tube 3 to the interior thereof. 6 is an end- 45 less spiral flange forming a runway, the outer or ascending portion of which winds around the exterior periphery of the tube 3 as indicated by the convolutions 1 to I3. The end of the uppermost convolution 1 then leads between the convolutions 50 of the volute wall 4 as indicated at 1x in Figs. 3 and 4 and the end of the lowest convolution I3 leads between the volute Wall 5 as indicated at I3* in Fig. 4. The volute portions 1x and I3x connect to the opposite ends of the inner or descending spiral formed by the convolutions I4 to I9 extending between the interior periphery of the tube 3 and the exterior periphery of the tube 2.

By this means an endless trackway is formed for an endless chain 20 which winds around and down the outer periphery of the tube 2, the inner 8 wall portions 4x, and 5x extending between the peripheries of the tubes 2 and 3 and the exterior portion between the periphery of the tube 3 and the wall of the tank I.

The links forming the chain 20 are illustrated l0 in Fig. 'l and comprise the bar plates 2| and 22 connected together by bolts 23 and 24 on which are revolubly mounted rollers 25 and 2B tracking against the walls of the tubes 2 and 3 and the wall portions 4X and '5x above referred to. The 15 lower bar plate 22 is provided with lugs 21 and 28 between which is revolubly mounted aroller 29 on a shaft 30 to travel on the upper faces of the spiral flange convolutions 1 to I3 and I4 to I9 to take the weight of the chain. 20

3l is a motor (see Fig. 2), the shaft of which is connected through a suitable'reduction gear contained in the casing 32 to a shaft 33 on which is secured a driving gear 34 engaging the links of the chain 20 through a slot 35. 25

The lower bar plate 2| of each link is provided with a slotted lug 36. 31 is a bottle carrier comprising a rectangular frame of suitable construction at each side of which is journalled a roller 38 on which the milk bottle is laid. The rollers 30 38 bear upon the upper faces of the spiral 6 and travel freely thereover, a carrier being freely connected -to each link by a hook 39 engaging in the slotted lug 36 to allow of a swinging movement in a vertical plane. 35

40 is a slotted opening in the wall of the tank I through which the bottles are manually fed, one bottle being laid in each carrier 31. The upper ange convolution 1 has a portion 11 which is downwardly inclined towards its outer edge, 40 such inclined portion extending from a point adjacent the remote end of the feed slot 40 to a point adjacent the discharge opening 40x.

4I is an angle bar curved concentric to the centre of the machine against which the bottle mouth bears as indicated in Fig. 9. 42 is a perforated tube also concentric with the centre of the machine and so positioned as to inject water into each bottle mouth to rinse the same. The tube, if desired, may be divided into sections, each section separately supplied with water rat gradually decreasing temperature. The inclined portion 11 is provided with an extension lip 1 extending through an opening Ix in the wall of the tank I so as to shed the rinsing water into a receptacle 43 from which it is drained preventing the waterventering the alkaline solution and diluting it.

Opposite the discharge orifice x is located the discharging mechanism comprising ya pair of brackets 44 to one of which is secured a stationary disc 45 having an opening 46 for the passage of the bottles 41. 48 is a shaft mounted in the brackets 44 and to 'which is secured a revolving disc 45x carrying bottle jreceivers 49 secured thereto at one edge and extending closely adjacent tothe disc 45 at the opposite edge. The shaft 48 is driven from the shaft 33 by means of the shaft 50 driven atV one end by the sprockets 49X and 49 and sprocketchain 5l)x and connected at its oppositeend by the bevel'gears 5| yand 52 to thesnaft 4s.

53 is a guide plate, the upper portion being V concentricV to the discs 45 and 451, the'lower por- CFI tion extending tangentially so as to allow the bottle bottom to slideA easily onto the travelling conveyor 54 to be conveyed to a suitable point..

Having described the principalv parts involved in vmy application I will briefly describe the operation of the same. l y

lne soiled milk bottles are passed through the feed slot 40 and placed in the bottle carriers as they travel in the direction ofthe arrow past such slot driven by the gear 34. As they continue to travel in this direction they are carried `over the ange portion 1x into the descending or inner spiral of the runway, passing down the same into the solution. As they enter the solution, the bottle mouth is tippediupward by the inclined portion ISX releasing air contained in the bottle. The bottlesthen travel successively to the bottom of the descending spiral and then pass outward by the volute'5 into the ascending spiral formed around the exterior of the tube 3.

When they are carried upward by the ascending spiral above the level of the solution, they are momentarily tipped down at their mouth end as they pass over the downwardly inclined portion 8X so as to empty the f alkali solution `therefrom into the tank I before they arerinsed to prevent f waste of the solution.

\ anism is so timed as to receivea bottle Ain each receiver as the mechanism revolvesin the manner above described to discharge the bottle ontov the endless conveyor 54 which carries it through the opening 46 to any convenient point.

From this description it will be seen that I have devised avery simple device for washing aoims l -milk bottle and other containers which is not costly and ls compact, easily operated and efcient. v The convolution 8 is provided with a short A What I claim as my invention isz- 1. A milk bottle washer vcomprising a solution receptacle having bottle receiving and discharge openings in the wall thereof, a runway element comprising inner and outer spaced apart 'cylindrical walls within the receptacle, 'a spiral endless runway consisting of an outer ascending portion extending between the receptacle wall and the outer wall of the element and a descending portion extending between the outer and inner element walls, and means for conveying bottles disposed horizontally and transversely of the runwayalong such runway from the receiving opening to the discharge opening of the receptacle.

2. A milk bottle 'washer comprising a solution receptacle, a spiral endless runway consisting of an outer ascending portion and an inner descending portion extending into the solutionvand a portion of which is inclined upward towards its outer edge for releasing imprisoned airfrom each bottle as it passes beneath the surface of the solution, bottle carriers, and means for driv-Y ing the bottle carriers continuously over the runway from a feed Vtoa discharge point.

3. A milk bottle washer comprising a solution receptacle, a spiral endless runway consisting of an outer ascendingVv portion and an inner descending portion extending into the solution the ascending portion being downwardly inclined laterally towards its outer edge at a point above the solution level to discharge solution from each bottle as it passes over such laterally inclined portion, bottle carriers, and kmeans for driving the bottle carriers continuously over the runway from a feed to a discharge point.

4. A' milk bottle washer comprising a solution receptacle, a spiral endless runway consisting of an outer ascending portion and an inner descending portion extending into the solution the ascending portion being downwardly inclined laterally towards its outer edge at a point above the solution level to discharge solution from each bottle as it passes over such laterally inclined portion, bottle carriers, means for driving the bottlel carriers continuously over the runway fromra feed to a discharge point, and means for automatically rinsing each bottle after the solution is discharged therefrom.

5. A milk bottle washercoinprising a solution receptacle, a spiral endlessrunway consisting of an outer ascending spiral portion and an inner descending. spiral portion extending into the solution, an endless sprocket chain guided around the endless runway, means Vfor driving the chain, bottle carriers pivoted to the chain and travelling over the runway from a bottle receiving point to a bottle discharging point, and means for automatically discharging the bottles atthe discharge point.V

y6. A milk bottle washer comprising a solution receptaclev having a feed opening, a discharge opening and arinse water outlet opening above the solution level, a spiral endless runway consisting of an outerdescending portion and an inner descending portion extending vinto the solution, bottle carriers, means for driving the bottle carrierscontinuously over the runway to carry the bottles from a point opposite tothe feed opening to a point opposite to' the discharge opening, a laterally downwardly inclined portion in that portion of the ascending spiral runway opposite to the rinse water outlet opening for depressing the bottle mouths, means for injecting rinse water through the depressed mouths into the bottles, and means for simultaneously guiding the rinse water as it is discharged from the depressed mouths through the rinse water outlet opening.

7. In a, milk bottle washer, a spiral runway comprising inner and outer tubes spaced apart, an endless spiral ange including an ascending spiral portion extending around the outer tube and a descending spiral portion extending around the inner tube and a volute guide wall at each end of the outer tube each comprising a central portion carried by the outer tube and concentric therewith, an end portion curving outward from each central' portion to the outer edge of each end turn of the ascending spiral ange portion, and an inner portion curving inward from the opposite end of each central portion to the wall of the inner tube, said endless spiral flange including a ange portion extending between the ends of the ascending and descending spiral flange portions and between the outwardly and inwardly curved portions of the volute guide wall to form a guidelway for the bottles from the ascending to the descending spiral portion at one end of the runway and from the descending to the ascending spiral portion at the opposite end of the runway.

CHARLES WIDMER WALKER. 

